Wendeng Pumped Storage Power Station

The Wendeng power plant is a 1.8GW pumped storage hydroelectric power station under construction in the Shandong province of China.

State Grid Xinyuan, a wholly-owned subsidiary of State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), is developing the project with an estimated investment of £867m ($1.34bn).

China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) approved the project in June 2014 and construction started in September 2015. The first pump turbine unit is expected to commence operations by the end of 2022, while the remaining five units are scheduled to come online by July 2024. 

The Wendeng pumped storage hydropower station is expected to generate up to 2.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity a year, when operating at full capacity.

Location and site details 

The Wendeng pumped storage power station is located at the crest of the Kunyu Mountain near Jieshi, 35km away from in the Weihai city, in the Wendeng district of the Shandong province in east China.

Reservoir and dam details 

The upper reservoir of the project will be created with the construction of a 101m-high concrete face rockfill dam. It will have an active storage capacity of 8.7 million cubic metres (Mcm) at a normal water level of 625m. 

The lower reservoir will be created with the construction of a 50.5m-high concrete face rockfill dam. It will have an effective storage volume of 10.14Mcm at a normal water level of 136m. 

Wendeng pumped-storage hydro power station make-up 

The Wendeng pumped storage hydro power station will be equipped with six 300MW power units, each of which will comprise a reversible Francis pump turbine unit placed in an underground powerhouse.

The underground powerhouse will measure 214.5m long, 26.5m wide and 53.5m high. The power plant will be designed to operate at a net water head of 471m.

Other components of the pumped storage facility will include the water delivery system and a switch station.

Power evacuation 

The electricity generated by the Wendeng pumped storage power station will be evacuated into the Shandong Power Grid through two 500kV power lines.

Contractors involved 

Chinese state-owned Harbin Electric Machinery (HEC) was selected to manufacture and supply pump turbines along with ancillary equipment for the project in November 2017.

Sinohydro, a division of the state-owned Power Construction Corporation of China (Powerchina), is engaged in construction and electromechanical installation works of the project.

Sinohydro Bureau 1 was contracted to build the water supply system including the construction of the pumping station and water pipelines in December 2016.

Sinohydro Bureau 3 received the contract to construct the underground powerhouse, access and ventilation tunnels as well as the flood discharge tunnels of the project in December 2014.

Sinohydro Bureau 4 was engaged for the construction and installation of penstocks, whereas Sinohydro Bureau 5 was awarded a contract worth £42.54m (51.64m) for the mechanical and electrical installation works of the project in August 2019.

Powerchina Beijing Survey, Design and Research Institute (Beijing Institute) was contracted to provide survey and design services for the project in May 2013.

Honeywell provided Söll Xenon horizontal lifeline fall protection system for the project.